a. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to protective cases and specifically to protective cases for devices that have an interactive flat-panel control.
b. Description of the Background
Personal Digital Assistants, or PDAs as well as other portable electronic devices are being very widely used, and are being deployed in industrial as well as office environments. PDAs are being used in industrial environments for data collection, such as service information on an airplane, or for data delivery such as maps for fire fighters and other emergency personnel. When PDAs are deployed in such industrial applications, the data that is collected and displayed on the PDA can be extremely valuable and can be life saving.
The industrial environments impose harsh conditions that typical PDAs are not designed to accommodate. For example, damage can be done to the PDA through rough handling and dropping. Further, industrial chemicals, grease, water, dirt, and grime may damage or destroy a functioning PDA and inhibit the use of the PDAs valuable data.
It is common to hold the PDAs inside a protective case for transport. However, in the case of a firefighter using the PDA on a fire scene, opening a case with gloved hands in the midst of fighting a fire exposes the PDA to easily being dropped, getting wet, or otherwise being damaged.
The user interface for PDAs is typically a few buttons and a touch screen display. The touch screen is used to both display information and to capture information. The data capture generally uses a stylus to select buttons or areas on the screen for certain functions, draw shapes onto the screen, use character recognition to enter text or numbers, or other methods of data capture.
The PDA may be connected to another computer by several mechanisms. The PDA may be direct connected using a wire connection, wherein a cable with a connector physically connects to the PDA. A second method is to use an infrared communication protocol that uses an infrared transmitter and receiver mounted in the PDA to communicate with another computer having a similar transceiver. A third method is to communicate via radio signals such as a cellular phone protocol or wireless modem.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a case for a PDA wherein the PDA may be fully operated when the PDA is stored securely in the case. Further, the operation of the PDA through its touch screen interface should not be hindered by a protective case. The case would also not interfere with the connections between the PDA and another computer.